Missing Lynx find range, down Hawks

Oley Valley's Jasmen Clark makes a pass during the second half against Hamburg Monday.

The temperature in Oley Valley's gym was a little on the nippy side, and the Lynx didn't exactly heat things up by scorching the nets.

In fact, for the longest time it's a wonder icicles didn't hang from the twine.

How cold were the Lynx? Through three quarters they were shooting 31 percent, an apropos one degree below freezing. They also missed all 11 of their 3-point attempts. Some real badly.

But Oley Valley, which has proven to be quite a resilient group, caught fire at the right time. In a flash the Lynx went from seemingly out of it to in the lead. After a frantic finish the Lynx held on for an important 42-41 Berks III win over visiting Hamburg Monday.

With the win, the Lynx (8-2, 14-3) moved a half-game ahead of the Hawks (8-3, 13-7) for second place in the division. Oley Valley, which faces first-place Wyomissing Thursday, has swept the season series against Hamburg.

Oley Valley played its sixth straight game without injured leading scorer Chelsea Gieringer. It also is without injured starter Nicole Vallely. Still, the Lynx continued to find ways to win and are hoping to make the Berks playoffs for the first time since 2000, and for just the third time since 1978.

"A lot of us have been together for a really long time," said Oley junior Brittany Krall, who scored a team-high 13 points. "For us we feel like it's not just Oley Valley basketball anymore . . . we are here to play. We want to play. We want to be in the playoffs. It would mean so much to us."

"I know that the playoffs are big for the girls," Oley coach Mike Clark said. "Making them would be big. Real big. I'm really hoping we get there."

The first half was back and forth, with neither team taking more than a three-point lead. Oley Valley got a big boost just before halftime when Jasmen Clark (10 points) and Krall scored in the final 20 seconds for a 21-18 lead.

Hamburg freshman Breanne Lamey, who scored a game-high 15 points, got going in the third quarter. She nailed two of her five 3-pointers in a 10-0 run to give the Hawks a 28-22 lead. Oley bounced back with a 7-0 run to take a 29-28 lead. Hamburg closed the third with a 7-1 run, with Lauren Romig (10 points) hitting a shot at the buzzer for a 35-30 lead.

Lamey hit a 3-pointer 30 seconds into the fourth to give the Hawks a 38-30 lead.

Clark, who missed her first nine 3-pointers, finally buried one 11 seconds later. Clark knocked down another 3 with 5:56 left. Nicole Marburger hit a 3 with 4:08 left to cap a 10-0 run to put the Lynx up 40-38.

After not hitting a 3 for the first 24:41, the Lynx nailed three in a 3:08 stretch.

The Hawks tied it on a basket by Kaylie Hafer with 3:08 left and took a 41-40 lead with 1:36 left when Hafer hit 1-of-2 foul shots.

Krall was fouled on a drive and hit two foul shots to put the Lynx up 42-41 with 57 seconds left. Clark missed the front end of a one-and-one with 29 seconds left to set up a wild finish.

Romig had a shot blocked with 16 seconds left, but the Hawks kept possession. Romig missed a shot eight seconds later, but the Hawks again kept possession when the ball went off an Oley player before landing out of bounds. Romig got one final chance but couldn't connect after getting bumped in the lane just before the buzzer.

"I told the girls that this is our house and they stepped it up," Mike Clark said. "Brittany Krall played phenomenal. They wanted it more. It was a big win, definitely."